Last night David and I popped a bottle of champagne, poured two glasses, and toasted ourselves.  “To us, for making it through one year of parenting!”  Because, you know what?  We fucking* deserved it!

We made it through the middle-of-the-night poop explosions, the months of no sleep, the tensions around who’s working harder, the inevitable “No, I got up with her more last night” disagreements, the isolation, the judgment from other parents, the “I just held a baby all day please stop touching me” moments, more visits from in-laws than a childless person has in a decade, the complete destruction of our social life, the screaming in a restaurant when we tried to finally get out of the house for once, and much, much more.

Having a baby is really hard.  And that’s the understatement of the year.  Some people have “easy” babies, but don’t let them fool you.  They deal with poop explosions and screaming fits too.  I still say that it gets easier after the first few months, but I know that in many ways it’s going to get harder.  Toddlers?  I hear they suck.  As much as I love my little girl and I think she’s the sweetest thing ever, I know that she’s going to suck sometimes too.

But you know what makes it easier?  Knowing that other parents are going through the same shit and that they’re making it, one day at a time.  So I propose a toast to all parents.  For making it through however much of this parenting thing you’ve made it through so far – be it three months or thirty years.  Your journey is your own, your struggles are valid, your love for your child is the most wonderful thing in the world.  So raise your glass and drink it down.  You fucking deserve it.

* Sorry for the profanity, but sometimes it’s called for.